


FOR THE SAKE OF AN ANGEL

by The_5th_Archangel_Is_The_7th_Avenger



Series: Diary of a Teenage Assassin [2]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers Family, Avengers Tower, BAMF Bucky Barnes, Domestic Avengers, Fluff and Angst, Multi, No Hulk because I'm L A Z Y, POV Original Character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-21
Updated: 2020-11-22
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:06:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 20
Words: 16,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27653845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_5th_Archangel_Is_The_7th_Avenger/pseuds/The_5th_Archangel_Is_The_7th_Avenger
Summary: Antheia's story continues.Six years later, Antheia is finally forced to meet the Avengers.The next day, one tries to kill her.Nobody's perfect.
Relationships: Clint Barton/Laura Barton, James "Bucky" Barnes & Original Female Character(s), James "Bucky" Barnes/Natasha Romanov, Natasha Romanov & Original Female Character(s), Nick Fury & Maria Hill & Original Character(s)
Series: Diary of a Teenage Assassin [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2022007
Kudos: 7





	1. Chapter 1

Most people's first impression of me is a devil-may-care, sarcastic 14 year old who will drop-kick  
you out of a window. Once they get to know me? I'm still a devil-may-care, sarcastic 14 year old  
who will drop-kick you out of a window, only I'm a little nicer to you. Most of the time.

  
My name is Antheia Cybele Hill, and I live by myself in a ground-floor apartment in the middle of  
New York. I'm not usually there much, so it's mostly neat and clean. The colour scheme is basic;  
blue, grey and white. It's very calming, which is totally at odds with my personality. In my room, I  
have a double bed with swirly-rainbow covers. The bedside table has my SHIELD laptop that I use  
to write reports and research targets. I keep my personal laptop on me at all times, as it's the one I  
use for booking plane tickets, hotels, sending highly-classified messages and other spy-stuff. I also  
use it to watch movies while on a stake-out mission, which are really boring.

  
I had just gotten back from a fairly easy mission in Botswana, simply get-in, assassinate and getout.  
However, SHIELD made me find my own way there and back which meant economy class on  
a tiny commercial jet... RIP circulation in my legs. First thing I did when I got "home" was run a  
couple of laps of the local park, which made me feel loads better. Now, I was lying in my room,  
staring at the pale-blue ceiling and daydreaming when my SHIELD phone rang.

Only Fury, Hill and Coulson's team called me on that phone, so I grabbed it and quickly pressed accept.  
"Agent 0481, state your name, rank and intention?" I rattled off my well-practiced greeting, and the  
other person snorted.  
_"Good afternoon to you too, Antheia."_ the dry voice on the line belonged to my boss/surrogate  
father, Nicholas J Fury. I groaned, already knowing why he had called.  
“Ja, oh Mächtiger?” I replied with a sigh and could almost hear Fury roll his eyes.  
_“I think it’s time you introduced yourself to the Avengers, I’ve called a team meeting at 3pm this_  
_afternoon. Room 401, password's 7392. Don't be late.”_ His voice was businesslike, all banter aside.  
I felt my stomach drop, and I swallowed hard. I'd been avoiding this moment for as long as I could,  
but it could be put off no longer.  
“Delta or Omega entrance?” I kept my voice steady as I asked the standard question, but he knew  
me too well.  
_“I think Omega this time. I’ll let you figure out the details. Oh, and Antheia?”_ Fury’s voice  
softened slightly, and he seemed to hesitate. _“Ich werde dort sein.”_  
He said it quickly, like he hated to say it. Fury was not one for affection, especially in our line of  
work. However, sometimes he softened. Either way, it helped ground me.  
“I know. See you around, Direktor.” I smiled, and Fury chuckled before hanging up. Throwing my  
phone beside me on the double bed, I groaned.

Time to meet the Avengers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:  
> Ja, oh Mächtiger? = Yes, oh mighty one?  
> Ich werde dort sein. = I’ll be there.  
> Direktor = Director.


	2. Reasons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We learn why Antheia's reluctant to meet the Avengers.

I wasn't particularly thrilled to meet the Avengers, for several reasons, two of which are:

1\. I have the highest mission success rate of any agent, from any agency. At 99.77%, I am even higher than the now-disbanded Strike Team Delta, comprising of Natasha Romanov, Clint Barton and Phil Coulson. They had only managed an average of 99.16%, and I wasn't looking forward to explaining how a lone agent was better than three of SHIELD's top agents.

2\. I have no idea how to tell them that I have been their protection detail for 6 years, meaning I probably know them better than they know each other. That is not going to go down well with two super soldiers, two assassins, a mind-reader, a robot and Tony Stark.

It's been an arguing point between Fury, Hill and I for years. Hill and I both agree that it's easier for me to work if I'm hidden from them, but Fury insists that if I was visible to the public, people (cough, cough General Ross) might think twice about even attempting to harm an Avenger.

It seems that Fury's finally put his foot down...

Yay.


	3. New Teammates Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Antheia "officially" meets the Avengers. Fury tries to get drunk. Tony Stark wants to adopt Antheia.

Ever since I had accidentally filled a meeting room of SHIELD's World Council with exploding  
water balloons, I started asking how Fury wanted me to enter a situation. Entrance Delta meant I  
was to play SHIELD's golden girl, with my suit on and professional aura. On the other hand,  
Omega meant I could do whatever I wanted to impress or irritate whoever I was meeting with.  
Usually Fury gives me limits, however this time he was leaving it all to me. Terrible idea, really.  
I arrived at SHIELD headquarters about fifteen minutes before the meeting was due to start,  
lugging my black backpack filled with supplies. I was going to startle the Avengers to the point  
where they forget to question me.

  
The headquarters were relatively empty, due to a wave of high-secrecy missions being sent out  
lately. There are only three or four agents left, which is good. I'm not supposed to interact with  
other agents, in case one turns out to be a mole (*Cough*Rumlow*Cough*). I'm known as Agent 0481,  
a legendary agent who is said to be Earth's final defense if the Avengers fall. They flatter me, really.  
My job is to ensure the Avengers don't fall. But either way, no-one except Coulson's team, Hill and Fury  
actually know I exist/have met me.

  
Once I arrived at the door of room 401, the most secure room on the planet except for maybe  
HYDRA's Finland base (yes, I'm still trying to crack that one). I quickly typed in the 4-digit  
password and strode in, a girl with a plan. I quickly set to work, shimmying into the vents and  
placing containers of glitter, confetti, glue and feathers, and all of the above every chair in the  
room, including Fury's. After everything was in place, I rigged them to fall when I tripped a string  
that was connected to the vent covers. I didn’t have to wait long; I’d barely gotten myself settled  
before Black Widow and Hawkeye walked in, all brisk and professional. Ugh. Getting them to  
accept me was going to be… difficult. I don’t think they’ll like having a teammate who can beat  
them.

  
Following them were Captain America and the Winter Soldier. The former of the pair,  
Steve Rogers, would probably find it hard to trust me, due to his love of privacy. Now,  
the latter was interesting, probably the only Avenger who could beat me in combat.   
I admire him; I mean have you seen that metal arm? _Sigh_. In addition, I have my own  
score to settle with HYDRA and I was impressed that he was able to break his conditioning. 

  
Next, of course, was Fury, leading in the new girl Wanda Maximoff, aka Scarlet Witch. I propped  
my head up on my arms and watched her intently, waiting to see if she would scan the room for  
potential threats with her powers. She didn’t. In fact, she was looking rather tired, like she’d spent  
the night… occupied. I smirked to myself, knowing perfectly well what, or rather who, she’d been  
occupied with. Speaking of, he’d just walked (floated?) into the room, tailed by a very hungover  
Tony Stark.

  
Anthony Edward Stark, the Avenger with the highest amount of people wanting him dead. A  
surprising percentage of them were jilted-women-turned-revenge-artist, and even the occasional socalled-  
child. They were mostly the children of women who didn't want to admit that they screwed  
their ex.  
He and Vision, the floaty one, had a very strange relationship. Vision was his brain-child, so they  
had a father-son relationship not unlike a puppy and an owl. One will nip at your heels till you  
drop-kick him out of a window, and the other would simply bore you to death. Yep, this was going  
to be fun.


	4. New Teammates Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cont.

“Alright folks, you’re probably wondering why you’re all here. Take a seat, this will be a long  
conversation.” Fury began in a gruff tone, scanning the room for any hint of my entrance. I  
watched him gleefully as his sharp eyes noted a single dot of glitter on the carpet. His face went  
from serious to horror _real_ quick, and just as he opened his mouth to warn everyone, I pulled the  
string.

  
Widow and Hawkeye were promptly coated in rainbow glitter, and when I say coated? I mean a  
full bucket of the stuff. The supermarket cashier had given me some very strange looks, and I had  
simply smiled sweetly and skipped on out of there.  
Rogers was covered in red, white and blue confetti mixed with glue, turning him into a remix of  
the American flag (I have a very good sense of humour). Barnes was almost unscathed; I wasn’t an  
idiot. His list of potentially homicidal triggers was seventeen pages long, I counted. I only dumped  
a bucket of non-sticky feathers on him.

  
Stark had the unfortunate luck of getting dumped with even more rainbow glitter, most of which  
landed in his customary drink of vodka and baileys. I think he was madder about the drink than the  
suit I’d ruined. Go figure.  
Wanda was swamped in glue and bright pink feathers, turning her into a very disgruntled, very  
confused flamingo. I sincerely hope Vision doesn't have any unsealed joints in his body, because  
they would now be filled with glue.

  
Fury, now that was a different story. I had given him every single one of the above, and ohhhhh  
boy! He was very… sparkly. And angry. Mostly just sparkly.  
“ANTHEIA CYBELE HILL, GET YOUR [BLEEP] [BLEEP] ASS DOWN HERE NOW, YOU  
LITTLE [BLEEEEEEEEEEEP].” I kid you not, he actually shrieked, while spitting out sparkly  
feathers. I made sure to snap a few pictures before making my grand entrance.

  
“Yes, darling Fury?” I swung down from the vents in a perfect backflip, landing beside him with an  
innocent smirk. He spluttered indignantly, while the Avengers were still in various states of  
disarray. It was all I could do to not fall over laughing, it was the funniest thing I had ever seen.  
“What the hell is THIS?” he got his voice under control, sweeping his arm in the direction of the  
colourful explosion. I grinned gleefully, and he glowered right back.  
“We-e-elllll… You did say Omega entrance. You also said that I could work out the specifics. So  
really, it’s your own fault.” I said proudly, and he sighed in defeat.


	5. In Which I am Handcuffed and Scrutinised. Rude.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Avengers ask questions and the answers leave them even more confused.

Three hours later, everyone was finally cleaned up except me. I hadn't brought extra clothes, so I  
had just showered and put my clothes back on. They weren't that glittery, so I didn't look awful.  
Fury had put me in handcuffs, “merely in the interests of safety” he claimed. Uh huh. Of course, I  
had them unpicked in under thirty seconds, but it was a nice fantasy.

  
We were all seated in the world’s second most secure room, since the first was currently being  
gutted and refitted with new, non-sparkly décor. Of course, I was beside Fury, who quickly handed  
the (now obsolete) key to my handcuffs to a very confused Bucky.  
“Why are you giving me this?” Barnes asked carefully, and I grinned at him.  
“You’re the only one in this room, hell in this building, who could actually take me in a hand-tohand  
fight.” I shrugged, and Clint actually scoffed. I instantly turned to face him, letting some of my mask slip   
through.

  
He looked away, paling. Bucky just gave me a look of cautious interest, which made  
me think it would be easier than I thought to integrate into this team.  
The Avengers were now all eyeing me carefully, except for Tony. He was looking at me in total  
awe, and I had a feeling he would’ve adopted me right then and there if not for the deadly look  
Fury was giving me. Sorry Tony, I already have two parental figures.  
“Fury, who’s this?” Steve bit the bullet, and Fury momentarily stopped giving me the stink eye to  
answer him.

  
“This, everybody, is your new teammate. Agent Antheia Cybele Hill, best agent in SHIELD and a  
royal pain in my ass. Please, take her. I need to escape and get drunk in the Bahamas.” Fury  
sounded so miserable I actually chuckled.  
“Oh please. You do me no justice, Direktor darling. Best agent in the world.” I corrected him,  
maybe a little smug. I'm very proud of my skills, they took seven years to perfect.  
Well, that got their attention. Clint immediately sat up straight, and I could practically see the gears  
in his head turning as he mentally scanned everything he knew to figure out who I am.  
“Why are we being teamed with a child?” Natasha asked suspiciously. Blunt as always. Well, time  
to get this party started.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Direktor = Director.


	6. The Handover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fury really, really wants to get drunk.

“Natasha, suspicious as always. Ever heard of Agent 0481? Well?” I winked at her, and her  
eyebrows shot up in disbelief. “Yes, Natalia, I am the only agent on the planet with a better success  
rate than you and BirdBoy over here. Oh, and I’m not a child. I was the one sent to clean up your  
royal screw-up that was Budapest. Boy was that one fun. I was still scrubbing Russian blood out of  
my clothes a week later.” I wrinkled my nose.

  
Clint and Natasha’s eyes darkened at the mention of that clusterfuck of a mission. On the contrary,  
Bucky’s eyes lit up in recognition, and his eyes focused intently on my face. I wondered what had  
caused such a profound reaction. Mentally filing it away to investigate later, I moved my eyes to  
focus on Tony, who was stifling a shit-eating grin.

  
“Tony Stark. Looks like that journalist, Amber Kane, really did you some good. Oh, and before  
you ask how in the hell I know about that… please. I’m agent 0481. It’s been my job the past six  
years to know those things.” His jaw dropped, and I smirked.  
I’ll admit, my tone was a little cocky. My only shot at getting the Avengers to accept me was to  
impress them so much they forgot to question me. There were things they really didn't need to  
know. Like who trained me, for instance.

  
“Okay, fine. Antheia, you can… er… get to know your teammates later. I have missions to check  
in on. Also, please try not to destroy any national monuments in the next week… The Burmese  
government is still whining about that.” He waved his hands at me dismissively, and I was almost  
offended. Almost. However, I took it gracefully and only stuck my tongue out at him before  
standing up and striding to the door. My teammates and I were almost out the door before a thought  
occurred to Fury.

  
“Hey Antheia, your handcuffs-“ I turned around and raised my eyebrows at him, causing him to  
pause. “Right. Never mind. Just… have fun.” He sighed, not even waiting for the door to close  
before grabbing a bottle of tequila and downing about half of it in two seconds.  
“What did he mean, about your handcuffs?” Steve asked curiously, and I paused mid-stride to  
show him my very slender, very free hands. His eyebrows rose to an impressive height.  
“You mean the handcuffs currently cuffing two of Fury’s drawers together?” I asked innocently,  
and right on cue, Fury began swearing very loudly. Bucky sent me an impressed look, and Tony  
burst out laughing.  
“How long ago did you do that?” he gasped through his half-laughs, half-sobs.  
“Oh, around the time Wanda tried to brain-scan me and realised she couldn’t. So, basically, in the  
first two minutes. Obviously.”


	7. Welcome to Stark Tower

The ride to Stark Towers was very quiet. Natasha was silently trying to hack into my non-existent  
SHIELD file, Tony was still chuckling, and Wanda and Vision were whispering urgently, no doubt  
about their inability to see into my mind. That left Steve, Bucky and Clint, all who spent the long  
ride staring out the window, or in Clint’s case, drooling in their sleep. I made sure to snap a picture.  
Just for personal use, of course.

Oh, who am I kidding, this was SO being sent to every SHIELD agent’s email.

  
After a few minutes of awkward silence, I had grabbed my headphones and soon had my favourite  
song blaring in my ears, No Place Like Home by Todrick Hall. Masterpiece, I tell you.  
Honestly, it was a relief to finally pull up into Stark’s very fancy underground carpark and escape  
the metal death-trap that was his self-named “Iron Car”. I happened to know it was in fact made of  
vibranium that he stole from Wakandian stores, and it took me a full month to clean up that mess.  
I still can’t hear Wakanda’s national anthem without shuddering, remembering way too many 3am  
mornings spent trying to simultaneously not bash my brains on the table and find a way to calm  
down T’Challa. Let me tell you, much coffee was consumed.

  
I will admit, Stark Tower is architecturally very impressive. To the untrained eye, the “solar  
mirrors” were just there to keep the tower from turning into an oven. To me and every other  
person/android in the car, they were sleeper shields. In case of attack, they would pop out and form  
a very powerful shield to protect the tower. Very intelligent, considering Tony Stark’s habit of  
handing out his personal address to international terrorists. And yes, Fury is still pissed about that.  
“Alright Ant, out you hop! Time for the grand tour of Stark Tower!” Tony grinned, hopping out of  
the car first and opening my car door for me, bowing grandly. I resisted the urge to inform him I  
probably knew his tower better than he did, and simply accepted his outstretched arm with an eyeroll  
at the nickname. He's not the first to call me that, and he won't be the last.

  
“Wait- Stark, she’s a SHIELD agent who is probably here to spy on us! Are you seriously going to  
let her in with open arms?” Surprisingly, Steve was behind the outburst. I guess he was still  
paranoid about repercussions from his little criminal stint a few months back. Well, guess I’d better  
set his poor, nervous heart to rest.  
“Listen, Steve. Trust me when I tell you that there is nothing you have done or are currently doing  
that I don’t know about. I’ll explain why once I’ve had a really strong cup of coffee, and  
preferably a nap.” Looking Steve in his pretty blue eyes, I continued. “Fury has no interest in your  
activities. He leaves that to me, if there’s something I think needs handling, I handle it. SHIELD  
itself has absolutely none of your secrets on record. Not even your project to reboot Ultron’s  
programming and turn it into another AI.” I addressed the last part to Tony, who choked on the  
final swig of his glittery glass of whiskey.

  
“How do you- you know what, tell me later. Now, folks, shall we introduce Ant here to our humble  
abode?” Tony started shepherding all the Avengers into the massive elevator, rambling animatedly  
about plans for the floor I was going to need. He was kind of sweet, actually. Right up until he  
asked me what shade of pink I wanted my walls painted. I promptly informed him exactly where he  
could shove that stereotype, which shut him up immediately.


	8. In which I throw Fury under a bus. Metaphorically.

Once I had been given the tour, it was explanation time. We all sat in Stark’s enormous lounge  
room, the Avengers in a U-shape surrounding me. It felt like I was on trial, which in a way I  
suppose I was. Bucky was the first to break the silence.  
“Okay, first. What do you mean, it was your job to know us for six years? Secondly, how old are  
you and why in the hell are you an agent?” He stated his questions bluntly, and I could see raw  
curiosity shining in his eyes, a sentiment reflected in almost everyone’s faces.  
Where to begin?

  
“I’ll answer your second question first. I’m fourteen, and I became an agent when I was seven. The  
alternative was having my memory wiped and growing up a normal child. There are things I will  
never choose to forget, things that shouldn't be forgotten. So I chose to become an agent. The first  
year was spent doing ordinary missions, until a close call during one of your Avenger missions,  
and Fury realised he needed someone to watch you all and essentially protect you to the best of my  
vast ability. So, I’ve spent the past six years shadowing you, pulling strings and taking out threats  
that you would not see until it was too late.”

  
I stated this with a falsely neutral voice, hiding the inner shudder that ran through me. My words  
had a very big impact on the people surrounding me; Natasha’s head snapped up to stare at me,  
shadows in her own eyes as she remembered her own choice long ago. Steve’s head dropped into  
his hands and Bucky frowned in almost-anger, as he tried to imagine what could be so important  
that I would rather become an assassin than forget. Clint simply watched me, trying to read my  
eyes. He knew all about choices and consequences.

  
Tony, Wanda and Vision were the only unaffected ones, mainly due to Tony being too busy filling  
a clean glass with some whiskey, and Wanda was too wrapped up in trying to penetrate the shield  
around my mind. Vision, still trying to learn empathy, simply continued watching me carefully.  
“Okay, when you say ‘shadow’, you mean what, exactly?” Natasha asked cautiously, as is she was  
almost afraid of the answer. I couldn’t blame her, honestly. Her whole history with the Red Room  
left her sensitive to anything related to young spies, especially girls. Heck, I had my own  
experiences with little girls being forced to kill.

  
“I mean this: Every single piece of luck you have had on missions, from guns being jammed to  
guards sleeping on watch, from doors being unlocked to cameras conveniently looking the other  
way. Every miraculous escape, every corrupt politician very suddenly vanishing, and every  
argument diffused? That was me. Truth be told, Fury hasn’t kept track of you for years. He left it to  
me. I cleaned up every mess, deleted every record and payed off every witness, doing everything to  
keep you lot safe. So, you’re welcome.” I finished wearily. By now, it was almost eight at night, I  
was hungry, tired and dirty. Glitter, man, there’s just no getting rid of it.

  
Well, my bombshell had left the Avengers gobsmacked. I was sure Fury would be receiving some  
calls in the morning, but right now I didn’t care. I simply got up, drained my coffee mug and  
wandered off to find some food, leaving Tony opening and closing his mouth like a goldfish.  
For tonight, I would just find a comfy lounge somewhere and crash. I would work out long-term  
arrangements tomorrow once the Avengers had yelled at Fury and probably broken quite a few  
plates.


	9. The Winter Soldier

At some point during the night, I awoke on my pile of blankets to someone trying to gingerly pick  
me up. I recognised the cool metal of Bucky’s arm and drowsily blinked up at him, confused. He  
just regarded me silently, before heaving me up into his warm arms and steadily plodding down a  
long hallway into what I presumed was the elevator. Having decided he meant no harm, I passed  
out in his arms again, probably snoring. I have a reputation in SHIELD as the worst bed-sharer in  
history, I’m very proud.

  
When I woke up the next morning, I was lying on a very comfortable bed. The first thing I noticed  
was the sheer mass of blankets on top of me. They were warm, fluffy and very comfy. Groaning, I  
sat up to a very… strange… sight. I seemed to be in a large bedroom, reasonably neat, with a large  
dresser in the corner.  
“Hello?” I called out sleepily, beginning to wake up properly now. There was no answer, so I  
began to cautiously explore the room, noting the walls were covered in old pictures of what looked  
like Brooklyn around the early 1900’s. My thoughts immediately went to Steve, but then I  
remembered that it had been Bucky who had carried me here. So, this was mister Tall, Dark and  
Moody’s room… Interesting.

  
The walls were painted a beautiful light grey, which framed the pictures nicely. I had to admit, I did  
not take him for the sentimental type. I guess when you’ve spent your life as he has, you can’t trust  
memories anymore so it’s better to have proof that you’re not going crazy, that your memories are  
real. Can't relate.

  
Padding lightly out of the room, I creaked the door open and stepped into a surprisingly modern  
apartment. There were plants in every corner of the room, and I recognised some as being native to  
Brooklyn. Having visited there many times in my time as an agent, I was very fond of that  
particular place. When I finished a mission in the area, I'd go to my favourite cliff and just sit there,  
watching the towns below and making friends with the birds. Even befriended a snake, once.  
Bucky's kitchen was neat and bare, with a simple bowl of apples on the counter. I guess Bucky  
didn’t spend much time here, which wasn’t surprising. I preferred to keep my apartment as  
impersonal as I could, too. As I continued to explore, I heard light footsteps behind me. They were  
made by someone with lots of practice in stealth.

  
“Morning, Antheia.” Bucky, voice rough with sleep, sounded cautious, like he was uncertain of my  
reaction to waking up in his bed. I turned to face him, almost chuckling at what I saw. The feared  
Winter Soldier was wearing a rumpled blue hoodie with loose tracksuit pants, his hair a mess.  
My analysis was hypocritical, since I probably looked worse. I was still wearing yesterday’s outfit,  
skinny black jeans and a black t-shirt with some obscure death-metal logo. My hair was still in its  
tangled plait with glitter strewn through it, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Bucky’s bed was now  
filled with glitter. Whoops!

  
“Hiya Bucky. Uh, thanks for lending me your bed last night.” I began awkwardly, and a flash of  
something almost like nostalgia flashed across his face and was gone. He simply nodded, before  
gesturing to what I presumed was the bathroom and wandering out. Glancing out the window, I  
estimated it to be around eight in the morning. Right on cue, my stomach growled and the hunt for  
breakfast began.


	10. Tony + Me + Cooking = Explosions.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Antheia's teammates question her extensively and Antheia shows the Avengers her  
> pyrotechnic side.  
> (In her defence, Stark shouldn't have made the kitchen so flammable.)

No matter what Tony says, it was NOT my fault that the Stark Communal Kitchen exploded.

  
Sort of.

  
I was hungry, so after exchanging that awkward greeting with Bucky "softy" Barnes, I asked  
JARVIS where I could find some decent food. He directed me to the communal kitchen, where  
everyone was currently discussing what to have for breakfast. I paused in the large doorway, taking  
in the scene and just enjoying the smell of really strong coffee.  
"Sup, guys. Can I get a strong coffee with a malt marshmallow anywhere?" I greeted the sleepy  
Avengers with a fake cheery voice. Tony just looked up at me, squinted, groaned and slumped  
back down on the table, his face an unnatural shade of white. I gathered he was rather hungover,  
not exactly an uncommon occurrence.

  
"Morning, Antheia, what would you like for breakfast?" Steve, ever the gentleman, actually  
seemed happy to see me. I smiled sweetly back at him, before winking at Bucky, who grinned at  
me. Clint and Natasha were nowhere to be seen, Clint presumably hiding from Natasha after  
pissing her off as usual. Wanda and Vision were chatting over tea (gross) and they merely waved  
lazily at me.

  
"It's okay, Steve. I'm gonna make the Antheia Special, or spicy pad thai. Anyone want some?" I  
glanced around the room. Bucky looked interested, and I heard a voice from the vent above my  
head call out a "yes, please". Everybody else just shook their head, so I began to cook breakfast for  
three.

  
My recipe for the seasoning includes some spices that, surprise surprise, are actually explosive  
when mixed with coffee. Don't ask me how I discovered this, it involved a very long mission, an  
equally annoying hangover and a mother-of-all appetites. The paperwork was atrocious.  
"Tony, can you grab me a muesli bar?" Wanda asked him, and he groaned again before getting up  
and lumbering into the kitchen to hunt one down. He stumbled past me with his coffee in one hand  
and an empty packet of ibuprofen in the other, just as I turned around to grab some milk. This  
caused Tony to crash into me, sending his coffee flying into my saucepan, and my pad thai  
exploded.

  
There was a startled shriek from the vents as a slightly burnt Clint tumbled out of the new hole in  
the ceiling, landing directly on top of Tony and I. We all crashed to the floor as a pile of flailing  
elbows and curses, hot mince splattered across every surface within reach. I had Tony's very  
painful arc-reactor directly on my face and Clint's elbow in my stomach. I didn't even bother trying  
to escape the dog pile, and just lay there groaning and spitting out burnt mince.

  
***Timeskip of about 20 minutes***

  
After we had cleaned up and relocated to a less... messy space, we just ordered Chinese.  
I collapsed into a chair beside Bucky, who was outright laughing at Clint's miserable expression.  
He had bruised his elbow on the floor, his hair smelt like burnt potpourri and Natasha  
was still pissed at him. After everyone had settled in, Wanda cleared her throat meaningfully.  
Raising my eyebrows, I turned from my task of plaiting Bucky's hair to look at her questioningly.  
She met my gaze evenly, and I sighed.

  
"Alright, shoot. First, however, I must have coffee," I slipped off my chair to grab a coffee heavily  
dosed with sugar. Sitting back down, I waved my hand lazily at Wanda, who looked nonplussed at  
being interrupted. "Okay, go." I finished.

  
"Who are you? As in, what nationality? Who are your parents? Why are you protecting us? Why  
are you even an agent?" Wanda fired off questions, and I groaned. It was too early for an  
interrogation. Technically, half of that information is classified, so I simplified it to their clearance  
level.

  
"I'm half Russian, half English. My dad is classified, even I don't know. My mother was an  
anonymous donor according to files SHIELD was able to find. After I was rescued from  
somewhere I don't want to talk about, Maria Hill raised me, hence my last name being Hill. As to  
why I'm protecting you? Honestly, Fury needed someone to watch you guys and I volunteered. I  
enjoy it, even get a little revenge here and there. It's convenient." I took a breath after my long  
answer, deliberately ignoring Wanda's last question, something that did not go unnoticed by the  
super soldiers in the room.  
And then the million dollar question was asked, surprisingly by Clint.  
"So what happens next?"

  
Oh boy.

  
"Well, if it was up to me, I'd go back home and continue shadowing you. However, I read a file  
Fury was silly enough to try and hide from me; he wants me to become an Avenger, which is NOT  
happening." I stated, stubbornly refusing to think about what else had been written in that report.  
Nope. Not going there. I'd misread it.  
"Would it really be so bad to become an Avenger? I mean, you're obviously good enough." Clint  
tried to reason with me. Natasha and Steve nodded along with him, but it was Tony who protested  
this time.

  
"How do we know she's good enough? SHIELD is very different to being an Avenger. And - no  
offense, Ant - you are only 14. No amount of makeup could make you look old enough to be  
drinking, let alone protecting the world." Tony glanced at me apologetically, but remained  
steadfast. I watched him intently as a couple of other heads started nodding. While I wanted Tony  
to win this argument so I could go home, I also needed them to trust my abilities. So, I summoned a  
cocky grin and stood up, stretching easily.

  
"Here's a deal. If I can take on Natasha, Wanda and Clint all at once and win, you don't doubt my  
ability and I don't become an Avenger. If I lose, you get to send me back to SHIELD. Either way,  
I'm happy." I suggested, already heading for the elevator.

  
As the Avengers exchanged glances, I heard someone mutter, "Ela é arrogante. Use isso para sua  
vantagem, Wanda." I knew without looking that it was Vision, so I tossed out an answer over my  
shoulder as I entered the elevator, pressing the button for the training floor.  
"Não sou arrogante, estou confiante. E eu falo português."

  
Natasha started laughing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ela é arrogante. Use isso para sua vantagem, Wanda. = "She's cocky. Use that to your  
> advantage, Wanda."  
> Não sou arrogante, estou confiante. E eu falo português. = "I'm not arrogant, I'm  
> confident. And I speak portuguese."


	11. The Scarlet Bitch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Antheia, Clint, Natasha and Wanda spar.  
> Someone goes too far.  
> To be fair, Antheia is a very annoying person.

Once everyone was assembled (ha!) in the spacious entry to the main training room, I cracked my  
knuckles and got everyone's attention.  
"Right. Wanda, you may not use your powers, except to try and crack the wall in my head.  
Natasha, kindly remove your 28 hidden knives and 5 guns. Clint, you can use your bow if you  
want, but not up close. As for hindering myself, I will remove all hidden weapons and wear no  
protection, only training clothes. You three can wear light padding if you want." I instructed,  
silently smirking as Natasha scowled.

  
"Wait... I thought Natashalie only had 25 knives. I scanned her!" Tony protested, and I laughed.  
"Body positioning plus Vibranium. You're welcome, by the way. I was the Agent sent to deal with a  
very pissed T'Challa." I nodded at him, and scanned my eyes over Natasha, ensuring all weapons were  
accounted for. They were, so I stepped into the vaguely maze-like fighting room. There were  
obstacles such as oil drums, logs, burned-out cars and even a tiny hut. The training floor was huge!  
As the large metal door closed behind the four of us, Tony's voice crackled over the intercom;  
"Alright guys. No permanent maiming, and PLEASE don't blow up anything this time. Good luck,  
all!"

  
The lights went dark, and when they turned back on, the others had disappeared. There was a ledge  
above my head, which suggested Clint was probably already making his way to a vantage point. I  
guessed Natasha would probably be shadowing me, watching. Wanda would be ahead of me.  
As I started walking towards what I guessed was roughly the middle, I heard a tiny movement  
from the hut in front of me. If I listened closely, I heard Wanda's nervous breathing and her restless  
shifting. She relied too much on her powers, meaning I could easily take her in hand-to-hand.

  
"Wanda, I know you're there. Just come out." I raised my voice, allowing it to carry easily to where  
I knew she was crouched. There was a pause, then I heard her sigh and she stepped out of the little  
wooden hut. Without giving her a second to brace, I launched myself into a running flip, landing  
behind her. Before she'd even registered my presence, I had kicked the back of her left knee,  
causing it to buckle. Just before she hit the ground, I pushed her forward so she not-so-gracefully  
face-planted on the ground, my right arm holding her down. It would leave a bruise, but I knew  
how to pull my punches.

  
_One down. Two to go._

  
I heard the twang of a bow and immediately dropped and rolled, pulling Wanda's struggling body  
on top of mine. Clint would be used soft-point arrows, both taser and normal, so I was confident she  
wouldn't be injured. As soon as I heard Wanda grunt as the arrow hit its mark, I rolled back over,  
dropped her body and dived into the hut. Pausing to catch my breath, I wiped some sweat off my  
forehead, before listening carefully for any hint of Natasha. Nothing.

  
Wanda was still catching her breath from my attack, so I didn't worry about her for the moment.  
Next up would be Clint, as once he was out of action Natasha would be easier to deal with. I knew  
roughly where the arrow came from, so I began prowling towards the left wall, where I was  
confident I would find the wily archer.

  
Sure enough, I had barely taken two more steps before another arrow came whistling towards me,  
this time a Taser. Lightning fast, I reached out and caught it by the shaft, knowing it would only be  
set off if the arrowhead touched me. I misjudged slightly and the fletching gave me a friction burn,  
but I shook it off and kept going. By now, I was dodging arrow after arrow, and I could hear Clint  
swearing in frustration.  
I figured they would allow me to find Clint, then gang up on me. Worked for me!

  
There was a rather tall plastic tree that simultaneously shielded Clint from my view and vice versa,  
so I slipped behind it, before slinking over to a ledge that Clint had used to access his "nest". It was  
only a metre off the ground and plenty wide, so after testing it with one foot, I climbed quickly on  
top of it. From there, it was a quick jump up to where Clint was waiting for me. I was too close  
now for him to fire his bow, so he dropped it and got into a fighting stance.  
"Hey Ant. Where's Wanda and Nat?" he asked, mock seriously. I snorted at him, ducking as he  
suddenly threw a punch. We began trading blows, he went for my stomach and I blocked it. I'm  
sure to an outsider we looked like a blur.

  
"Wanda is in the hut trying to break my wall, and Nat is about two metres away, about to attack." I  
grinned at his stunned expression as I hooked his legs out from under him and kneeing him in the  
stomach. Just as he hit the ground, Natasha attacked. She tried to flip over in front of me, but I was  
ready for her. I pushed her hard, and she lost her balance for a second. It was all I needed, as I  
lightly jabbed her with the Taser arrow I'd been saving, and she dropped beside Clint, writhing as  
the mild electricity surged through her. I put one foot on Clint's chest just as he tried to get up,  
pushing him back to the floor.

  
"Alright. You win. You're good." Natasha breathed, wincing as she sat up. I smiled and bent over  
to offer her my hand, when something slammed me from behind. My head hit the ground with  
a crack. Pain exploded through my head and my left wrist, and I cried out.  
"Wanda! Stop!" I faintly heard Clint yell, before I was sucked into my head. Wanda was battering  
my wall, and I was in too much pain to stop her. I could feel blood dripping from a split in my  
skull, and my left wrist was definitely broken. Nonetheless, I attempted to push her out of my head,  
but I slipped and suddenly, I was forced to watch the worst moments of my life again.

  
Seven-year-old me, screaming out a single word as I struggled against unseen restraints as my little  
sister was beaten. "NO!" little me screamed, and big me screamed it too.  
"Wanda! Stop! Please!" I cried, thrashing desperately as I hurled myself against the wall of my  
head, trying to escape the onslaught of memories. She was relentless, pinning me to the spot.

  
Seven-year-old me again, this time the one being beaten. Curled into a tiny ball, racked with pain  
as blow after blow rained down on my tiny body.  
More and more memories, pouring out of their locked door, flooding my head with pain and grief  
and blood.

  
Finally, I passed out.


	12. Mangoes and fuzzy socks

I was deep inside my castle, running through carpeted hallways in my fuzzy socks. The smell of  
apple pie was everywhere, making me hungry. Shrieks of joy and laughter echoed throughout the  
building, making my face stretch into a big smile as I heard a familiar squeal.

  
"Sissy! You're home!" a small girl shrieked, throwing herself into my waiting arms. I laughed and  
spun her around, inhaling her scent of pineapple and mango, her favourite foods.  
"Hey Jamie! How are you?" I grinned as she began babbling about ducks, swimming and  
cupcakes. As she chattered on, I turned to meet the boy standing in the doorway. He was about my  
height, with dark grey eyes and blonde hair. He gave me an easy smile, opening his arms for a hug.  
"Hey Cybele. Добро пожаловать домой." he said warmly, hugging me tightly, Jamie shrieking  
in protest as she was squashed between us. Laughing, I put her down and ruffled her blonde hair.  
Of course, she wasn't really my sister, she was Levi's. She and Levi knew me as Cybele, but her  
four-year old mouth pronounced it as "sissy". I thought it was adorable.

  
"So, what brings you back?" Levi questioned, his tone serious. I hesitated, memories of what  
happened echoing through my head. That makes them sound like the incident with Wanda  
happened a while ago, but it didn't. In fact, it happened about two minutes ago.

  
See, Jamie and Levi weren't real. Well, they used to be. But Jamie's gone forever, and Levi's still in  
THAT PLACE. My mind built this as my happy place, so when something traumatic happens I can  
recover. It was full of my favourite things, and I had Jamie and Levi to help me come to terms with  
whatever had sent me here. Sometimes it was things they couldn't help me with, but most of the  
time I left here feeling content.

  
Jamie led me into the lounge room and onto a soft blue daybed, where I sat down and she plopped  
herself into my lap. Levi sat cross-legged in front of me, and I began to tell them everything. By the  
time I was finished telling them which memories had resurfaced, tears were streaming down my  
face and Jamie had her head buried in my chest.

  
"Oh, 'Bele. It's gonna be okay." Levi comforted me, coming up behind me and wrapping his arms  
around my torso. I clung desperately to him and Jamie, reassuring myself that the memory was  
over, that I was okay.

  
"Sissy? I love you. And it's okay." Jamie peered up at me with her wide grey eyes, her trust  
breaking my heart all over again. She didn't properly understand what she was, or what had  
happened to the real her. All she knew was that someone had hurt me, had made me watch her  
being hurt.

  
"I know, Jem. I love you too. And you, Levi. Now, shall Levi and I tell you a story about the  
Dragon Queen and her friend, the mighty Leviathan?" I gave her a watery smile, and she squealed  
in excitement. I felt Levi hum in happiness, and so we began to tell her about the time they rescued  
a puppy named Jack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Добро пожаловать домой = Welcome home


	13. Wake Up

Next time I woke up, I was back in the real world. I knew this because my left wrist ached, my  
head throbbed and there was an incessant beeping somewhere behind me.  
I groaned, and opened my eyes, squinting against the bright light. I could hear three people talking  
in russian, and two muttering in english. I decided to focus on the english for now.  
"She should wake up soon. We have no idea what happened, it's like her consciousness just... shut  
down." A vaguely masculine voice, obviously bewildered, spoke in a hushed voice.

  
"I'm not surprised. Before she passed out, she was screaming and thrashing, whatever Wanda did  
obviously hurt her a lot." This I recognised as Steve, his tone strained.  
Internally sighing, I decided to ease their minds. I let out an exaggerated groan, and weakly tried to  
sit up. I was immediately surrounded by vaguely humanoid shapes all trying to help. One of them  
grasped me in a way that triggered an automatic response, as I immediately punched whoever it  
was with my rock-hard cast and used the other hand to cast around for a weapon. I was still  
struggling when a voice broke through my haze by yelling;  
"Everybody back off! Antheia, can you hear me? It's Bucky." I immediately stopped fighting, and  
felt all the hands on my body disappear.

  
"Okay, that's good. I'm going turn the lights down, so hang on a second." his rough voice was  
gentle, and I heard his footsteps echo on the floor. Suddenly I could open my eyes without feeling  
like I was staring at the sun, and it became easier to see who was around me. I had Bucky on my  
left, sitting in a non-threatening pose. Steve and Clint were standing by the door, Clint nursing a  
swollen lip (oops). Natasha was behind Bucky, being as non-threatening as an ex-Assassin could  
be.  
"B-Bucky? Uh, can I have some water?" I asked, my mouth feeling like it was full of sand. He  
nodded, before remembering I couldn't really see him.  
"Uh- yeah. Just be careful, you've got a pretty major concussion." he warned, handing me a paper  
cup with a straw. I sent a dirty look roughly in his direction, before sipping my water gratefully.  
"Oh really? Thought this was a hangover. What's the damage on my wrist?" I asked when I had  
drained the cup.

  
"Broken growth plate and two fingers. Sprained another finger. You took quite the tumble."  
Natasha answered me, handing me another cup. I took it before replying angrily;  
"I didn't tumble. Wanda pushed me." I spat her name like it was poison. She had destroyed what  
little trust I had that this arrangement would work. She pushed me too far, and badly hurt me. I  
was not feeling very kindly towards her right now.

  
I heard Natasha sigh, and out the corner of my eye I saw Clint and Steve exchange glances. My  
vision was slowly becoming clearer, as the water made its way through my system.  
"Antheia..." Steve began hesitantly. He paused before continuing, "What exactly did Wanda do?"  
I closed my eyes before replying. "You are aware that some people can put up a wall in their heads  
to block mind readers, yes? Clint and Natasha both built one after Loki." I waited for his  
affirmative hum before continuing. "Well, sometimes if you're distracted or in a lot of pain, the  
wall can be broken. But it's a bit like someone tearing a hole in your skin, it hurts. A lot. So when  
Wanda broke into my wall, I couldn't stop her, I was in too much pain."

  
I paused, swallowing hard before continuing, tears threatening to fill my eyes. "Instead of backing  
off right away, she broke into my darkest memories, and unlocked them. She forced me to relive  
them. So when I passed out, I retreated into my head to recover." I finished shortly, draining the  
second cup of water. I heard Natasha's sharp intake of breath, and saw Bucky's fists clench  
involuntarily. Steve swore, before storming out of the room, Clint hot on his heels.  
"Bucky? Where's Tony and Vision?" I asked quietly, and he glanced at me before relaxing his fists.  
"Tony's sorting out a room for you, and Vision is with Wanda. He's trying to understand why she  
snapped." he answered hesitantly, and I nodded weakly, my head throbbing again at the movement.  
God I hate concussions. I lay there for a while, just drifting, before slowly feeling the pull of sleep."


	14. Memory Lane

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The cause of Wanda's attack is revealed, sending Antheia into a horrifying memory  
> spiral. She learns more of who she is and what has been taken from her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning, disturbing themes such as little girls being beaten.  
> If this triggers you, stop at *Memory*. I'll put important points in the end notes.

I was woken up from an unfamiliar nightmare by a metal arm shaking me lightly.  
"Bucky? What's going on?" I groaned, swatting the offending hand away.  
"Negative, Miss Hill. Bucky is currently on a mission. You asked to be notified when the cause of  
Wanda's snap was identified?" Vision's slightly nasal voice, entirely too cheerful for what I  
presumed to be early in the morning. I sighed and opened my eyes warily, expecting a flash of pain  
that never came. Huh. Guess my concussion is finally cleared up. I can finally get out of this stupid  
hospital room!

  
"Alright, alright. I'm coming. I'm presuming we're going to Tony's lab?" I commented as I swung  
my legs over the side of the bed and stood, being careful not to jolt my injured wrist. It had only  
been two days since the "incident" as we are calling it, occurred. The others have been regular  
visitors, but nobody bothers pretending nothing's changed.

  
"Correct. Would you like assistance, Miss Hill?" Vision asked politely, and I glared at him.  
"Firstly, my name is Antheia not Miss Hill. Secondly, I have a broken wrist. That's it. I've  
completed missions with two broken ribs, a bullet in my shoulder and a busted ankle. So no, I do  
not in fact need assistance." I snapped, feeling only a tiny bit guilty at Vision's apologetic  
expression. Just as he opened his mouth to apologise, Clint walked in.  
"Hey Antheia, how are you?" He stopped short when he saw my expression and tense body.  
"Nightmares?" he asked quietly, his eyes showing his sympathy. I nodded tersely, beginning to  
walk towards the door of my hospital room. He touched my arm lightly as I passed, and murmured  
in my ear; "If you need to talk, Tasha and I are here." This time, I nodded gratefully. Didn't change  
anything, though. How can I talk about a nightmare of something I don't remember?

  
The three of us made our way to Tony's lab, Clint and I comparing favourite guns as Vision  
listened in silence. Just as we were arguing about which AK was better, AK-47 or AK-102 (I voted  
the latter), we arrived. Tony was suspiciously cheery, which made me nervous. Obviously, Wanda  
and Bucky weren't there, however everyone else seemed present. I don't know if that made me feel  
better or worse.

  
"Morning Ant. So, Vision and I have pinpointed the cause of Wanda's 'tantrum'. You might want to  
sit down." Tony began nervously, and the ball of apprehension in my stomach knotted even further.  
"Tony? I can take bad news, I'm an assassin. Spit it out." I sighed, hiding the tremor that wanted to  
show itself in my voice. Steve winced at my words, and I wondered why. Natasha was simply  
studying me with what resembled pity, which confused me.

  
"Okay. Basically, the Mind Stone reacted to something in your brain. It lashed out, using Wanda.  
We have a pretty good idea of what it reacted to, because it reacted the same to Bucky when he  
first arrived." Tony seemed to hesitate, and I frowned. My mind was spinning through every  
possibility, and there was a voice in the back of my head, whispering, 'You know exactly what he's  
talking about, Antheia. You've always known.' but I shoved it as far down as I could. It was a  
misunderstanding, that's all. I gestured for Tony to continue, which he did, albeit reluctantly.  
"Antheia... Vision felt a surge of energy that exactly matched the surge from after Wanda restored  
Bucky's wiped memories. Have you ever..." he paused and swallowed. "Have you ever been  
wiped?"

  
What?

  
"W-wiped? I don't think so, you must be wrong!" I cried, my voice coming out shaky, reflecting  
everything I felt. Tony looked pained, and as he opened his mouth to respond, I put my hand up for  
him to stop. I stumbled to my feet and took two wobbly steps before collapsing, scenes from my  
nightmare flashing through my brain.  
Fragmented sentences, all in Russian. Flashing metal, long brown hair and piercing blue eyes. A  
little girl, screaming for someone I couldn't see. And again, Jamie, screaming for me. From far  
away, I heard Clint shouting my name, and distantly felt someone shaking my shoulder, but I  
ignored them. My head was throbbing and swirling, as the memories I didn't even know were  
missing all came rushing back. I could feel tears streaming down my face, felt myself shaking,  
rocking. And then I was submerged in the bloodiest memory of all.

  
***Memory***

  
I was seven years old, and almost finished my training. I easily recognised the room that I was in as  
being the one that Jamie died in. Everything was the same, except the person standing in front of  
me, arms open for a hug. Tall and muscular, it was a man that seven-year-old me knew as брат.  
Brother. He had piercing blue eyes and brown hair, and most noticeably of all, a metal arm.  
The man I called my brother was James Buchanan Barnes, aka The Winter Soldier.  
I was snapped out of my shock when seven-year-old me was cuffed round the head by an agent  
with a pistol and baton.

  
"Assets One and Two, stand to attention." she barked, her words muffled by a thick russian accent.  
Seven-year old me scrambled to comply, standing ramrod straight, arms at my sides. Confused, I  
watched as she and the Winter Soldier were approached by a man I recognised with a shiver -  
дрессировщик. I knew him as Mr Zemo, the man responsible for all my pain. He stopped directly  
in front of Bucky and I, and only I could see the tiny shiver that ran through my skinny body.  
"Asset Two. You have one final test before your training is finished and you become the Silver  
Snake." Zemo instructed, his voice emotionless. I shivered, but little me merely nodded. "Your  
final test is this:" Zemo's voice turned cruel. "Winter Soldier here is going to kill Asset Three. You  
are going to watch. Any attempt to intervene will result in the deaths of Assets Three, Four and  
Five. Asset Six is also facing his final test, and if you pass you will be paired together. Do you  
understand?"

I watched in horror as little me maintained eye contact with Zemo, answering only, "Understood,  
sir." Zemo looked pleased, and he gestured to someone I couldn't see.  
Asset Three, known to me as Jamie, was dragged into the room by two agents who carelessly  
dumped her in front of little me and exited the room again. Jamie looked at younger me pleadingly,  
her lip bloody and her left eye swollen. Evidently she'd put up a fight. Oh, Jamie. I silently  
whispered, my heart squeezing painfully.

  
"Longing. Rusted. Furnace. Daybreak. Seventeen. Benign. Nine. Homecoming. One. Freight car."  
Bucky stiffened, his eyes turning cold and distant as he was triggered into Winter Soldier mode.  
"Good. Mission for Third of October, Two thousand and Nine: Kill Asset Three." Zemo ordered,  
before stepping to the side of the room.  
The Winter Soldier immediately strode towards Jamie, who was cowering on the floor. While she  
wasn't actually bad at hand-to-hand combat, nobody could compete with the Winter Soldier,  
HYDRA's most valuable Asset. As I watched with tears in my eyes, Bucky hauled Jamie up by her  
neck, and she instinctively kicked him in the throat. Zemo's eyes tightened with rage, and he  
stepped towards Bucky again.

  
"Mission parameters changed for the Third of October, Two thousand and Nine: Break Asset  
Three." he snarled, and little me shook slightly as Bucky nodded once, tightening his grip on  
Jamie's neck. By now, she was struggling for breath, and just as she was about to pass out, he  
dropped her. She hit the ground whimpering and gasping for air, but she barely had a chance to  
breathe before Bucky moved. He kicked her stomach viciously, causing her to scream as her ribs  
broke. As she tried to crawl away, he grabbed her again and threw her across the room, watching as  
she hit a wall and fell to the ground, crying.

  
By now, I was shaking in horror and helplessness, as was little me. However, she had her orders, so  
she remained in place. "Stop him!" I screamed at her, but she couldn't hear me.  
Bucky had Jamie in the air again, and she went to weakly punch him in the face but he merely  
reached for her arm, and without so much as blinking, snapped her arm. At this point, she reverted  
to pre-condition Jamie and broke. She began screaming.

  
"Sissy! Sissy, please!" she screamed my name, her grey eyes unknowingly meeting my tear-filled  
ones over Bucky's shoulder. It was at this point that little me broke through my conditioning.  
"Stop! брат, stop! Please!" The younger version of myself began screaming, throwing herself  
desperately at Bucky's enormous body. He seemed to hesitate, actually dropping Jamie to the floor,  
where she lay without moving. "Please, brother, please. Stop." I kept begging him, pummeling him  
with my tiny fists. All at once, he seemed to break his conditioning. He whipped around to me and  
grabbed little me in for an almost bone-crushing hug. We were both sobbing.

  
"Oh, маленький цветок, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." he muttered frantically, clinging to me desperately  
as the agents in the room were shoved into action. They ripped little me out of his arms, still  
screaming, and began carrying me from the room. I was on my knees, watching the horrifying truth  
unfold right in front of me.

  
"Wipe him and start over. And get this brat out of my sight." Zemo growled, his eyes fixed darkly  
on younger me's writhing body.  
"What of Asset Three?" one agent asked him.  
"Finish her." he snapped, turning heel and striding out of the room. The agent carrying me  
followed, as I kept screaming for my brother, for Jamie.  
The last thing I saw was the agent nearest to Jamie cocking his gun and shooting her cleanly in the  
head. My eyes rolled into my head and I passed out.

  
***End of Memory***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> брат = brother, sibling  
> дрессировщик = handler, tamer, breaker
> 
> Important notes: It is revealed that Antheia was trained along with Jamie. It is implied  
> that Levi is also there, but he is not involved in this scene. Where is not specified, but  
> will be revealed next chapter. Antheia discovers that somehow, Bucky is her brother.  
> She watches in horror as her and Bucky's handler, Zemo, triggers Bucky and orders  
> him to kill Jamie. Little Antheia tries to stop Bucky, breaking his conditioning, only  
> for Zemo to rip her out of Bucky's arms and order him wiped. Jamie is confirmed  
> deceased.


	15. Run, Boy, Run Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a horrifying revelation, Antheia runs away.  
> This chapter switches from Natasha and Antheia's POVs.
> 
> Title based off Run Boy Run by Woodkid

~~Natasha's POV~~  
When Tony called me into his lab, citing "Antheia-related emergency so get your pretty little ass  
down here now", I expected something like, he'd found her SHIELD file or she'd snapped and was  
currently rampaging through the tower. I was not expecting this.  
"Oh good, you're here. You remember HYDRA's signature wiping, yes?" Tony had seemed oddly  
distressed, which had my internal alarm ringing immediately.  
"Yes, I do. Why? Has Antheia triggered Bucky? Do we need to extract him?" I asked, concerned.  
He shook his head rapidly, and my confusion increased.  
"More like, Wanda triggered something in Antheia's head. And honestly? I'm scared. I think I  
know what it means, and god. The poor kid..." he looked helpless, and my stomach tightened. Did  
he say triggered?

  
"Tony... Are you saying that Antheia is a sleeper cell?" I asked slowly, my fists slowly tightening,  
and was thrown into even more confusion when he shook his head again. "Tony, spit it out for  
god's sake!" I growled, and he raised his hands in surrender.  
"What I'm trying to say is... Tasha... She was raised by HYDRA. And at some point, they wiped  
her. Wanda's attack broke through the block, and just like Bucky, she's now regaining memories  
that are most likely traumatic." Tony ran his hands through his hair as I sank into the nearest  
chair.

Poor girl.

  
"Well, that explains a lot. Her reluctance to tell us why she became an agent, for instance. And her  
insane skill-set. I wonder if she has any super-soldier serum in her?" I mused, my mind reeling with  
shock. I had expected her to be some kind of Inhuman, hence the early training, but I hadn't heard  
of any child-assassins from HYDRA. That is, excluding the Red Room, which has been shut down  
for years now. I made sure of that.

  
So where the _hell_ did she come from?

  
My thoughts were broken by the rest of our team arriving, and then finally, Antheia. She was  
followed by Vision and Clint, both of whom were doing a good job of hiding their pity. I watched  
as Antheia's eyes flitted around the room nervously, and now that I was actually looking, I could  
see so many similarities to Bucky's twitches. She had evidently gotten rid of most of them, but the  
occasional twitch when a loud bang sounded and other tells confirmed Tony's discovery.  
Tony took a deep breath, before greeting Antheia with a smile.

  
"Morning Ant. So, Vision and I have pinpointed the cause of Wanda's 'tantrum'. You might want to  
sit down." Tony began, and I saw Antheia frown at his falsely cheerful tone.  
"Tony? I can take bad news, I'm an assassin. Spit it out." she sighed, and out of the corner of my  
eye I saw Steve flinch at her choice of words. I resumed my activity of watching her closely, and  
she must've noticed because her eyes flicked to mine briefly before refocusing on Tony.  
"Okay. Basically, the Mind Stone reacted to something in your brain. It lashed out, using Wanda.  
We have a pretty good idea of what it reacted to, because it reacted the same to Bucky when he  
first arrived." Tony seemed to hesitate, and Antheia frowned again.

  
"Antheia... Vision felt a surge of energy that exactly matched the surge from after Wanda restored  
Bucky's wiped memories. Have you ever..." he paused and swallowed. "Have you ever been  
wiped?" I winced at his bluntness. Antheia's face dropped in utter shock, and she froze.  
"W-wiped? I don't think so, you must be wrong!" she cried in distress, and I took a step towards  
her, but before I could reach her, she turned and tried to stumble out of the room. She made it two  
steps before she crashed to the floor, shaking and deadly pale.  
"Antheia? Antheia!" Clint shouted, immediately starting forward and shaking her roughly. The  
others began to crowd her too, and I knew that whatever she was experiencing, we were making it  
worse.

  
"Everybody, BACK OFF!" I yelled, yanking Clint off of Antheia. Steve and Tony immediately  
stepped back, and I was able to push the others away from her. "You're just making it worse. She's  
obviously having a flashback, give her some space. Tony, call Fury. Steve, dim the lights a little.  
The rest of you, scram." I ordered, using my "scary voice", as Clint calls it. It evidently worked, as  
everyone scrambled to do as I said. Once the lights were dimmed, I approached Antheia. She was  
curled up in a little ball, whimpering and rocking. I cleared everything sharp away from her and  
ensured she couldn't accidentally hurt herself, and sat back to wait it out. Every now and then, she'd  
mumble inaudibly, and seem to flinch. I could barely stop myself from running away, seeing her  
hurting reminded me of my own flashbacks and nightmares.

  
Minutes passed, and her whimpers grew louder. She began thrashing, and I launched myself  
towards her and caught her just before she was going to smash her head into the concrete floor. All  
at once, she screamed, "BUCKY!" and woke up. I immediately backed off, watching for any sign  
of her potentially not being in control of herself. After a moment, she bolted for the corner of the  
room, her pupils dilated and her face a mixture of terror, fury and horror. It made my heart squeeze  
painfully, thinking of what could possibly cause that reaction.

  
"Antheia, hey hey hey. It's Natasha, remember me? You're currently in the Avengers Tower, floor  
Twenty-Five. This room is Tony Stark's lab. Antheia, can you hear me?" I began approaching her  
cautiously, my voice low and non-threatening. She didn't seem to see me, her eyes fixed on  
something in front of her. Silently gesturing at the security camera, I signed for Tony to deadlock  
the doors. I had no doubt that if she ran, she would do serious damage to either herself or others.  
"Asset, report." I tried a different tactic, and when I said Asset, it seemed to snap her out of her  
daze. Her eyes fixed on me, and the sheer rage and grief almost knocked the air out of my lungs.

  
"Asset Two, reporting. Go fuck yourself." she snarled, and I internally seethed at whoever had  
caused this kind of reaction. Whatever that memory was, it clearly marked the end of her allegiance  
to HYDRA. "Let this mark the day that I kill every last HYDRA bastard in this base, starting with  
you, Zemo. I promise to you, that I will not rest until I destroy you and break my brother's  
conditioning." her voice was so venomous I actually took a step back, and she immediately bolted  
for the window. Shit! Tony didn't deadlock the windows.

  
Antheia easily smashed the window with one roundhouse kick, and dived through it without  
worrying about broken glass. Within seconds she was gone. I immediately rushed to the window,  
worrying about the 25-floor drop, only to see her easily scaling the side of the building. I kicked  
the wall and swore, and the door burst open.  
"What the hell? Natasha? What happened?" Clint shouted, Tony already on his computer trying to  
track Antheia.

  
"HYDRA. HYDRA happened. I'm going to KILL those bastards. Steve, get Bucky back here  
NOW. I don't care if there's a goddamn war on, he'd better be here in two hours. Vision, round up  
Coulson's bus. I want them tracking her. Clint, go over the roofs and see if you can follow her.  
Meanwhile, I'm going to yell at Fury." I snapped, already storming out of the room. What did she  
mean, her brother? Why did she scream for Bucky? So many questions rattled around in my brain,  
but I ignored them for now. Priority was getting to Fury and interrogating him.  
I was in Fury's office within ten minutes, agents scrambling out of my way as I strode in without  
knocking. Fury turned to meet me with a scowl at the interruption, and quickly stopped when he  
saw my expression.

  
"Fury. Were you aware that Agent 0481 was wiped while under HYDRA's control?" I ground out,  
and his face went from confusion to guilt.  
"Look. I didn't know she was wiped, but I found something that she doesn't know. It's about her  
parentage. It doesn't surprise me that HYDRA would wipe information that sensitive." Fury  
answered quickly, holding his hands up as if to defend himself. I paused, her sentence about her  
brother echoing in my ears. Suddenly, the pieces fell into place.  
"Would that information happen to be that James Buchanan Barnes is Antheia's brother?" I  
snapped, and he nodded.

  
"Yes. How'd you find out?" he seemed confused, so I answered him over my shoulder as I exited  
his office, slamming the door.  
"Wanda broke the block. Antheia's bolted. Call Tony for more information."


	16. Run, Boy, Run Part 2

~~Antheia's POV~~

  
There was only one thought screaming through my brain: Run. Run far, far away.  
So that's what I did.  
My mind on autopilot, I made a quick stop at my apartment to pick up some clothes, my fake  
identities and both of my laptops. I only needed one phone, I wasn't planning on contacting anyone  
other than some old friends who would keep an eye out for me. My brain was in fight or flight  
mode, and fight was not an option. I needed to run until I couldn't anymore, and then take time to  
process all of these new memories.

  
As I hailed a taxi to the city airport, I booked three different flights. I doubted anyone could track  
me, but just in case, they wouldn't know which flight I was actually on. One was to Tokyo, Japan. I  
had no real love for Tokyo, even though I had three safe-houses scattered around the city. How  
does a fourteen-year old buy houses? By using makeup and fake IDs. The second flight was to  
Singapore, a lovely little place but not where I was really headed.

  
I was actually headed to a tiny, unnamed town in France, where I had a few contacts. I chose there  
because it has my favourite little safe-house. It was a small, spacious cabin by a little river. It had  
woods at the back, so if I needed to I could bolt without being seen. It was also a few minutes  
away from the town, so I could easily replenish supplies.

  
I barely remember the ride to the airport, or checking in. It wasn't until I collapsed into my aisle-seat  
on the jet that my mind actually slowed down enough for me to feel emotions. The first thing I  
felt was hunger, which I ignored. No doubt the flight attendants would feed me, and if they didn't,  
I've gone longer without eating. I also felt the sting of a few little bits of glass in my shoulders and  
arms, but they weren't bleeding and could wait till I got to France. The most pressing issue was the  
subtle tightening of my throat and the knot in my stomach, informing me I was about to either  
throw up or start crying, or both. As soon as the seatbelt sign switched off and we were on our  
way, I went straight to the tiny plane toilet. As soon as the door was shut and locked, I felt myself  
crumple.

  
After I'd thrown up quietly a few times, I sat miserably on the cramped toilet seat, staring at the  
bare wall. It felt like I was suffocating under the weight of my anger and grief, so I did some  
breathing exercises until I could actually think about the next step without crying. After a while, I  
finally stood up and unlocked the door, almost colliding with some plump woman who smelt like a  
bakery. Apologising, I stumbled back to my seat, and after exchanging awkward glances with the  
man beside me, I picked up the complimentary headphones and plugged them into the mini TV  
screen, getting comfortable and choosing a random, cheesy comedy.

  
"Excuse me, miss, would you like some afternoon tea?" a polite hand on my shoulder snapped me  
out of my movie-induced daze, and I turned to meet the gaze of a flight attendant. She was pushing  
the food trolley that seemed to be loaded with what smelled like savoury pastries. The poor  
woman, obviously French, looked exhausted so I decided to cheer her up.  
"Bonne après-midi. La nourriture sent délicieux! Puis-je avoir deux pâtisseries s'il vous plaît et une  
tasse d'eau?" I answered her in perfect French. Her face lit up, and she beamed at me.  
"Bonne après-midi! Oui bien sûr. Avez-vous besoin d'autre chose?" she asked in her lilted accent,  
and I shook my head with a smile.

  
"Non, merci je vais bien. Bonne journée!" I finished politely, and her eyes twinkled as she handed  
me my pastries and water before moving on to the next passenger. I don't think she got French-speaking  
people very often. Most American tourists don't speak more than a couple of sentences,  
and the French don't actually visit America very often. As I tucked into my pastry, my mind drifted  
to the Avengers. Would they look for me? I'd only spent three and a half days with them, two of  
which I'd spent in a hospital bed.

  
I had no doubt that Fury would send Agent Hill to find me. Last time he sent another agent after  
me, I returned her to Fury three days later, hogtied and gagged. After that, he either sent Coulson,  
Skye or Hill.  
I knew my mother could easily find me, but she's unlikely to inform Fury where I am until I'm  
ready.  
Sighing, I got comfortable and found some music on the TV screen to listen to for the duration of  
the flight.

  
***Timeskip of Four Hours***

  
I must've fallen asleep, because I woke up to a large, calloused hand tentatively shaking my  
shoulder. My eyes shot open, and I was about to attack before I remembered where I was.  
Plane. Bucky. Memories. Run.  
I realised that our plane had landed, and my seatmate was waking me up. I sat up straight and  
yawned, then nodded gratefully to the man beside me. He gave me a quizzical look, and I realised  
that a few bits of glass were visibly sticking out of my shoulder. I suddenly pointed excitedly out  
the window, and while he was distracted, I made my exit.  
Quickly standing up and grabbing my backpack from under the seat in front of me, I began the  
slow shuffle through the plane and onto the tarmac, the breeze making me smile. I did so love  
France.

  
"Bonne journée! Have a nice day!" Two airport employees were calling cheerfully to my fellow  
passengers, as we all made the trek into the terminal to go through customs and collect our luggage  
and refresh ourselves.

  
Of course, I didn't have any luggage, so I just went through customs and straight to the bathrooms  
to "freshen up". Really, I was informing a trusted contact that I was in town, and I wanted to know  
if anyone on my blacklist appears. I sent the following text, before splashing water on my face and  
heading out of the bathroom to find the airport exit.

  
WCW: Arriving in town shortly. Activate blacklist.  
CU, Rhea

  
WCW stands for Working Class Woman, an inside joke between my contact and I. Her name  
means hardworking, and she's actually an upper-class citizen who has never worked an honest job  
in her life.  
I have a different code name for each country, in France I'm known as Rhea.  
In Mythology, the Greek Goddess Rhea is closely related to Cybele, the Anatolian Goddess for  
whom I'm named. WCW is a fan of mythology, so it made sense for my nickname to be related to  
that.

  
Just as I was hailing a taxi, I received an answering message. Quickly checking her reply, I smiled,  
satisfied, before sliding into the seat directly behind the driver. It's easier to attack and defend from  
there, and I was sure there would be at least two people looking for me in France.  
"Where to, miss?" the old man in the driver's seat asked me politely, and I gave him my most  
charming smile before answering.  
"Just to the Lambert-Santos mansion, please Monsieur." I answered, and after a short pause, he  
nodded and pulled out of the parking bay.

  
Time to go visit an old friend, then go home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonne après-midi. La nourriture sent délicieux! Puis-je avoir deux pâtisseries s'il vous  
> plaît et une tasse d'eau? = Good afternoon. The food smells delicious! Can I have 2  
> pastries please, and a cup of water?  
> Bonne après-midi! Oui bien sûr. Avez-vous besoin d'autre chose? = Good afternoon!  
> Yes, of course. Is there anything else you need?  
> Non, merci je vais bien. Bonne journée! = No, thank you I'm fine. Have a good day!


	17. Lady Amélie Lambert-Santos

***TIMESKIP OF 20 MINUTES***

  
Thanking the driver, I shouldered my backpack and smiled up at the massive mansion that was  
home to one of my dearest friends.  
She was waiting for me at the door, arms open wide for a hug. I wearily returned her embrace,  
wincing when her arms rubbed some of the glass in my shoulders. She frowned, but when I  
shrugged, she just shook her head in disapproval. She really was a mother hen.  
"Amélie. Good to see you." I smiled, and she beamed back before ushering me into her home.  
"Come! You must tell me your adventures, oui? Tori has taken Vivienne and Matthew shopping,  
they'll be home soon. We'll have some time to ourselves." Amélie answered my unspoken question.  
I grinned at the mention of my two favourite munchkins.

  
"How are they? Adjusting well, I presume?" I asked, and Amélie nodded, more serious now.  
"Yes. Vivi still has nightmares, and Matthew will not go near tall men with mustaches, not that I  
blame him. They take comfort in each other, but they have missed you. They will be overjoyed to  
see you are finally home." she said warmly, squeezing my arm gently. We were now approaching  
her enormous living room, when she turned to me suddenly. By the look in her eyes, I knew I was  
busted. Amélie hates when I run away from my problems, so I braced myself for a lecture.  
"Would your sudden flight from America be related to a certain SHIELD agent asking me if I've  
seen you?" Amélie asked gently, and I froze.

  
"Uhh... I know many SHIELD agents, Amélie." I answered lightly, stalling for time. She just  
looked at me, compassion in her eyes.  
"Why are you running, dear girl? I thought HYDRA had finally stopped-" I interrupted her hastily.  
"Yes, they have. I would never come near Vivi and Mattie if I had them tailing me, you know  
that." I chastised her, and she nodded apologetically. I softened, and answered her more gently. "I  
discovered something. Something that changes everything. I need your help, and Tori's, too. I'm...  
I'm scared, Amélie." my voice cracked, and I dropped my backpack before diving into her waiting  
arms. She rocked me gently as I sobbed, my head aching and my shoulders stinging.

  
"Dear girl, we'll work it out together, yes? Let's get you cleaned up before the twins get home, and  
you can tell me what has you, the best assassin I've ever seen, so shaken up." Amélie took my hand  
and gently led me into the bathroom, dropping my backpack onto the lounge as we went.  
"Alright, pet. Sit on the floor and take your shirt off while I get the med kit." she instructed, and I  
meekly did as she asked, gritting my teeth against the pain as my tight shirt clung to my cuts.  
Amélie left the room and returned shortly with a little blue box, labelled 'Rhea'. She has a first aid  
kit for all of her family, filled with non-triggering antiseptics and medicines. Some of us can't stand  
the smell of expensive brand antiseptics, or large needles. Bad memories.

  
"Tut-tut, what did you do? Jump through a window?" she clucked her tongue, and I ducked my  
head guiltily, hissing as she pulled the first piece of glass out. "Which floor?" she asked, resigned.  
"Twenty-fifth." I muttered sheepishly, and she sighed. "Okay, before you get mad, I wasn't  
precisely in a good headspace." I added quickly, and she raised her eyebrows at me.\  
"Oh, really? I figured everything was sunshine and rainbows." Amélie muttered sarcastically,  
before continuing in a normal tone. "Alright, enough. What happened?"

  
"Long story short? I moved in with my clients, one of whom broke a block in my mind. Turns out  
HYDRA wiped me. Amélie... I have a brother. He's an assassin, like me. He got out after I did, and  
I don't think he remembers me." it all came pouring out of me, and Amélie hummed soothingly.  
"Relax, pet. I need to get one last piece of glass out. As for your brother... Could your client break  
his block too?" She distracted me from the tweezers currently digging into my muscles.  
"He's been wiped too many times, even if I recovered his memories they would be so fractured,  
they'd just be a jumble. But Amélie, the things I remember of us... I'm not sure he would want to  
remember." I sighed wearily. Amélie frowned, finally putting down the tweezers.  
"There's more, isn't there?" she prodded, and I nodded.

  
"Yes. Fury knew. There's no way he didn't. He told me that he assigned me to my current clients  
specifically because of who I am. He said he meant that I was an ex-HYDRA agent, and was the  
best agent he had. But I've read the report he put into the World Council about my rescue. There  
were some sentences that didn't make sense, like when he mentioned possible familial ties. I  
thought it was an error, as he corrected it and never mentioned it again. But he must have  
suspected, even all those years ago, that I had a brother." I broke down, my face crumpling for the  
third time today. By now, I was too exhausted to cry, so I just sat there staring at the wall as  
Amélie finished cleaning my cuts.

  
"Oh, sweetie. I'm guessing you're not going back for a while?" she asked rhetorically, already  
knowing my answer. "You mentioned in your message that you had some names for the black list,  
who are they?" Amélie changed the subject abruptly, and I was grateful to throw my head into  
business.

  
"Every member of the Avengers, past and present: Sam Wilson, Bruce Banner, Tony Stark, James  
Rhodes, Wanda Maximoff, Vision Stark, Natasha Romanoff, Clint Barton, Steve Rogers and  
Bucky Barnes." my voice cracked on the last name, but thankfully Amélie didn't notice. As far as  
she was aware, I was on protection detail for some obscure group of mutants, and had nothing to  
do with the Avengers. It was for her safety, and my own.  
"Wow." she whistled. "Okay, I'm guessing cause Fury will send them after you. Alright. I can do  
that, anyone you want double alert on?" she checked, and I nodded.  
"Just Barnes, Romanoff and Barton. They're the easiest for Fury to send undercover, and more  
likely to stay under your radar." I commented absently, then realised what I'd said.

  
"No offence intended! You're the best underground dealer I've ever met, and I don't doubt your  
surveillance at all!" I threw my hands in front of my face as a shield against her scathing gaze. Her  
eyes softened, and she merely whacked me on the leg before heaving herself to her feet and exiting  
the bathroom. I watched her go with a smile, contemplating just how amazing she was.  
Amélie is, at first glance, a spoiled and flighty upper-class lady who thinks that a Prime Minister is  
some fancy brand of perfume.

  
All wrong.

  
That's what makes her so dangerous.  
Amélie is indeed an upper-class lady, but she is far from flighty. She's steadfastly loyal, unlike  
most underground dealers. She is one of the bravest women I have ever met, and one of the  
smartest too. Amélie has a huge heart, and always sees the best in people. However, if she decides  
you're a threat to her, she can and will destroy you.  
She isn't particularly beautiful, with pale blonde hair, pasty skin and blue eyes, but she's incredibly  
charismatic. Amélie could convince a terrorist to sit down and have tea with her, and they would  
leave three hours later with a hand-made sweater and biscuits. She could kill the English royal  
family and talk her way out of life imprisonment. Hell, she could probably take over France and  
become a sadistic dictator, and nobody would bat an eyelash.  
She's also my best friend.

  
I was nine when I met Amélie, during a mission in the center of France. I went to her for  
information on my target, and she pretty much adopted me. She knows my story, and I know hers. I  
was the one who rescued her now-adoptive children, Matthew and Vivienne. They were six-year  
olds held in HYDRA custody, as an incentive for their father to do some of HYDRA's dirty work.  
They had a triplet, Elliot, but by the time I found them, he was already dead. Their father also  
perished, and they never had a mother.

  
I had brought them to Amélie, and she took them under her wing. She even found a nanny for them,  
Tori, who also happens to be an awesome hacker. Together, they became my second family. Of  
course, Vivi and Mattie don't know my full story, and Tori only knows that I am ex-HYDRA, but  
they love me anyway.

  
Speaking of the kids, I heard excited squealing in the hall, so I hastily threw my shirt on and  
stepped out to greet the kids I would die to protect.


	18. The Kids Aren't Alright

~~Antheia's POV~~  
As I stepped out of the bathroom, hastily rearranging my clothes into some form of order, I was hit  
by two squealing cannonballs, causing me to crash into the doorframe.  
"Rhea! Rhea! Tu es de retour!" Vivienne cried, hugging me tightly. Matthew was equally  
exuberant, but preferred to show his affection by burying his head in my stomach, hugging me  
closely. He was always the more shy of the two.  
"Hey, you two. Are you being good for Tori and Amélie?" I laughed, reaching down to tickle  
Vivienne. She shrieked and squirmed away, her face lit up with happiness.  
They were Amélie and Tori's charges, but they were my kids. Escaping from a deadly organisation  
forms unbreakable bonds.

  
"Vivi has improved in her English greatly, and Mattie got an 'A' in his mathematics test yesterday."  
I heard Tori's familiar voice, and looked up to see the small redhead smiling at me.  
"Hey, Tori. How's life?" I greeted her cheerfully, and she studied me closely before answering.  
"I have been well, but I suspect you have not. Trouble?" Tori questioned, and I winced. She took  
that as a yes, nodding silently before beginning to shepherd the kids into their rooms to put away  
their new purchases. Once I had made several promises to stay for dinner, and to play with them  
when I had finished with my 'grown up-stuff', they went somewhat willingly. As soon as their  
doors were shut, I felt all the happiness drain from my body.

  
"Tori, I hate to cut your relaxing time short, but I have something I need you to look into. If I'm  
right, HYDRA is not dormant. They are very much active. And we are in major trouble." My voice  
was serious, and I could see her visibly straighten her spine and a determined look came on her  
face.

  
"Let's get to it, then. Amélie went to make sandwiches, she'll meet us in the office." Tori answered,  
already turning around and heading for our office. I glanced wistfully at Vivi and Mattie's closed  
doors, before following her into my favourite room in the mansion.  
The office was massive, filled with piles of folders and hastily scribbled notes, as well as various  
bits of technology scattered on every surface. Normally it's kept neat, but today it was in a state of  
disarray. Quickly clearing various folders labelled 'Belgian Contacts' off one of the desks, I pulled  
up a chair and plopped myself down, using it like a horse. Tori did the same, pulling a sleek black  
laptop in front of her.

  
"What's up?" she asked simply, and I took a deep breath.  
"HYDRA has somehow gotten ahold of Bucky Barnes' father's DNA. They have been using it to  
continue the bloodline, as Barnes himself is sterile due to the SS serum. I'm one of the results, and I  
think there are others out there." I said in a rush, and Tori whistled.  
"Wow, okay. You're fourteen, right, so I'm looking for something around two thousand and two,  
correct?" she checked, already typing something on her laptop. I helped her hack HYDRA's  
archives last year, so we have access to all their files from around twenty to three years ago. I  
nodded in confirmation, and she added something to her search bar. Just as she hit 'enter', Amélie  
walked in.

  
"I made ham sandwiches, figured you'd be hungry. So, Rhea, what are we looking for?" Amélie  
asked, and I gratefully accepted a sandwich, taking a bite and swallowing before filling her in. I had  
just finished explaining when Tori made a small noise of horror. I looked at her for an explanation,  
and she looked up at me. Her face had turned deadly white, and her hands were shaking. She said  
only two words.

  
"We're fucked."


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Antheia discovers that someone she knows is being ruthlessly hunted, and must figure  
> out why before it's too late.  
> Also, Deadpool comes into play.

~~Antheia's POV~~

  
"Tori... Tori, what's wrong?" I asked, my voice deadly serious. I reached out and grasped one of her  
hands, squeezing it gently. She looked at me like a deer in headlights.  
"Antheia... do you remember an Operation Bloodline?" she whispered, her voice trembling. I shook  
my head, and she squeezed her eyes shut before continuing.  
"You have more than two hundred blood-related siblings, not counting Bucky or the ones who  
didn't survive. This Operation..." she paused and swallowed. "It's huge. From what I can see, there's  
bases on every continent. They're using George Barnes' DNA to continue the bloodline. Like you  
said, Bucky's sterile. And for some reason, they're desperate to continue the Barnes family tree. It  
doesn't say why." Tori stopped again. "Antheia... all of them have the super soldier serum. All of  
them. And there's at least two hundred kids recorded in this document alone."

  
"Holy fuck." I said simply, and Amélie grunted in agreement.

We were in way over our heads here.

  
"I need to call Fury, now. Amélie, I need you to contact that Danish guy, see if he's heard anything.  
Tori, I'm sorry, but I need you to keep reading. We need to know everything." I said gently, hating  
myself for making her read something so horrible. She nodded bravely, and went back to typing.  
Amélie hummed in acknowledgment, already headed out the door. I sprinted past her to the living  
room, rummaging through my backpack to find my SHIELD phone. Quickly dialling Fury's direct  
line, I began pacing. The phone rang once and he picked up, obviously confused.

  
"Antheia? What's wrong? Romanoff said you've bolted, whe-"  
"Fury. Call in the Avengers. It's HYDRA. I'll conference call in exactly thirteen minutes, I need  
you to get Coulson and his team in too. Forget trying to find me, we've got bigger problems." I cut  
him short, speaking rapidly. I heard his sharp intake of breath, and he hung up.  
Avengers, check. Coulson, check.  
Who's left?  
I groaned when I realised who I had yet to contact. Dialling his number, I waited anxiously for him  
to pick up.

  
"Pick up the damn phone, Wilson." I growled into the receiver, and was rewarded with cussing that  
Tony would be proud of.  
"Yeah yeah, hi to you too. Listen, I don't care if you're in a group orgy right now, if you don't have  
your ass in SHIELD in under ten minutes, I'll tell Hill who really changed her phone ringtone to the  
Wiggles theme song." I threatened, and Wilson spluttered indignantly.  
"You would not." he replied brazenly, and I laughed.  
"I've got her on speed-dial." I answered in my don't-test-me voice, and he yelped.  
"Okay! Do we need a grenade launcher?" Wilson asked hopefully, and I rolled my eyes.  
"No. For now, it's just rendezvous." I knew it was a lost cause, confirmed by his next words.  
"Great, I'll bring six." I heard him laugh gleefully and hang up.  
Eight minutes to conference call.

  
I quickly flicked Fury a text, letting him know to expect Wilson, to which he replied with "I'm SO  
gonna kill you".  
"Antheia! Get in here!" I heard Tori yell from the office, and I frowned. Jogging into the room, I  
looked at her expectantly. She looked a bit better, but she was still shaking slightly.  
"I have no idea why, but they want one of the Avengers." Tori informed me, and I felt my chest  
squeeze.

  
Oh god.

  
"Which one?" I demanded, and she didn't bat an eyelid at my tone.  
"Wanda Maximoff, the new one. It says here that she is to be captured, dead or alive." Tori  
finished gravely, and I swore violently.  
"Because of course it's her. Fuck fuck fuck. Alright, I'm having a conference call with the Avengers  
and some other contacts in about a minute. I'll inform them. Thanks, Tori." I gave her a quick hug,  
before heading into the hall again. The kids knew to not come out and bother us during 'adult stuff',  
so I wasn't worried about them eavesdropping. Staring at my phone, I hesitated before finally  
pressing 'call'. Fury answered immediately.

  
"You're on speaker. Everyone's here, Coulson and the Bus are watching through the cameras.  
What's HYDRA up to now?" Fury asked, his voice clipped and professional. I answered in turn.  
"A contact has found an active HYDRA operation, called Operation Bloodline. More than two  
hundred super soldier kids, all genetical siblings to Barnes and I. Spread around the globe. Mission  
unknown, presumed assassins. Exact base locations being determined now. HYDRA also wants  
Maximoff, dead or alive, reason unclear. Again, my contact is working on it." I spoke fast, but  
clearly. Last thing we need is someone mishearing something.

  
There was a shocked silence, then Tony spoke up.  
"Look, I know you don't want to be found. That's cool. But can you at least put me in contact with  
your person? JARVIS and I may be able to help." Tony said, and my heart squeezed painfully. I  
genuinely cared about him; he was a cool dude.  
"Expect an email in about ten minutes. Romanoff, I need you to dig deep into your contacts as  
well. Find out why they want the Barnes bloodline so bad. Vision, you're in charge of security.  
Nobody gets within five hundred metres of Maximoff, Rogers, you're with him. Barnes, I'm  
sending you flight details. They are for you and you alone. Tell anyone where I am and I'll gut  
you." I spoke quickly and calmly. Nobody protested me ordering them around, which I was  
pleased about.

  
"What about Coulson, and Wilson over here?" Fury asked, and I paused.  
"Wade, you still got a photographic memory?" I checked, and heard him confirm.  
"I'll send you flight details too. You and Barnes will rendezvous with me. Coulson, you guys stand  
by until further notice. As soon as I have locations, I'll organise strike teams. HYDRA isn't  
expecting us, and the sooner we wipe these soldiers off the map, the better. I'll call back when  
Barnes and Wilson arrive." I hung up without waiting for an answer.

  
Time to start planning.


	20. We Ride at Dawn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Planning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not finished yet. Will finish chapter tomorrow. Enjoy :)

I was up and moving before I'd even hit the 'end' button, running to find Tori.  
"Tori! I'm going to connect you with Tony Stark, I've called in all the stops. We  
_need_ to find these soldiers and get rid of them, who knows what HYDRA has in store."  
I informed her, a chuckle almost slipping free as her eyes widened at the mention of  
her biggest celebrity crush. To her credit, she recovered quickly, continuing to type rapidly.

  
"Okay, sure. Uh, alright. I can do that." she babbled, opening up a new email draft  
and starting to type. I sent a text to Tony, letting him know that Tori was contacting him,  
before moving onto the next point of business.

  
"I've called a couple of friends to meet me here, so I'm going to head to my safe house  
shortly so nobody finds out about you guys. I want to keep on the phone so I know you  
guys are safe. These soldiers change everything. They could be anywhere. I need to  
protect you, you're my family." I spoke over my shoulder to Amélie, who I'd heard walk  
in just as I'd finished talking to Tori. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Amélie nod, so   
I continued my planning. My mind was racing at a hundred miles an hour, going through  
so many different scenarios, so many different combinations. 

  
Protection for Amélie? Check.  
Notified SHIELD? Check.  
Tony and Tori in contact? Check.

  
There wasn't anything I could do now except head home and wait for Bucky and Wade.  
I was already dreading facing Bucky now that I held all these new memories and he didn't,  
but it was the best tactical decision, having him here with me. I was also looking forward  
to watching him and Wade inevitably clash, since one was a super soldier and the other  
couldn't die.

  
This should be fun.

  
Amélie called the kids into the living room to say goodbye, their eyes already watering.  
"I'm so sorry kiddos, but I've gotta go save more kids just like you. I will come back as  
soon as I can." I murmured to them, holding them tightly against me.  
Mattie sniffled, nuzzling closer to my chest.  
"Promettez-vous?" Vivi whispered, and I died inside. She only reverted to French when she  
was on the verge of breaking down.   
"Je vous promets." I replied solemnly, before swallowing hard and letting them go. My own   
eyes were misting over now; I hate promising things, especially to these already damaged kids.  
If I broke this promise, they would never forgive me. But I had no choice...


End file.
